Self-Compassion — Blog — Courage to Caregivers

“Self-compassion means standing up for what’s right. It’s about saying no to injustice and advocating for your rights and the rights of others with courage and kindness.” ~ Kristin Neff, PhD

Did you know that today, February 20, is the World Day of Social Justice, per the United Nations? I’ve been thinking a lot lately about kindness, compassion, and social justice. With everything going on in the world, I have felt frustrated, angry, hurt, and afraid (mostly for my loved ones who face stigmatizing and hateful attitudes from others). These emotions are all on top of the daily “caregiving” emotions of guilt, shame, and resentment. Everything around me feels out of my control. Yet, maybe we can honor this day with both kindness and compassion? That feels like something I can control.

Self-DiscoveryKristi HornerFebruary 20, 2025Self-Compassion

FEBRUARY 2024 NEWSLETTER: The Journey of Self-Discovery

I think of self-discovery as being my most authentic true self - living my most authentic true life. AND, if you don't know what that looks like - that's OK. You're a perfectly imperfect work in progress - learning and growing every day.

As I work to find ME again, our February curriculum topics offer the perfect 3 tools for discovering your true self. Maybe they'll help you in your journey of self-discovery, too?

WHAT BRINGS YOU JOY? Feeling joy is a boost to your soul, connects you to others, and can be contagious. You are worthy of experiencing joy, from small moments to major life events. Show the world you can be joyful.
IDENTIFY YOUR STRENGTHS. You are a unique person with many strengths, some of which you may not have even discovered yet. Cultivate your interests and abilities because they help you to be resilient, well-rounded, interesting and an interested individual. Be confident in who you are and what you can do. It makes you different and special!
HOLD SPACE FOR SELF-COMPASSION. You are as deserving of compassion and love as those to whom you give your compassion and love. We grow and improve ourselves by making mistakes. So instead of beating yourself up, just figure out what lesson can be learned and move on. By showing yourself compassion, you increase your capacity to give compassion to others, so everyone wins!

Check out our entire February newsletter focused on SELF-DISCOVERY here!

Kristi HornerFebruary 29, 2024Self-Compassion, Strengths, What Brings You Joy?, Finding Joy, Identifying Your Strengths

Self-Compassion – A Tender Balance and a Caring Force

“Self-compassion is a balance of TENDER – accepting ourselves – and FIERCE – taking action – to alleviate suffering.” – Dr. Kristin Neff

Like so many things for caregivers, when it comes to feeling compassion for ourselves in the same way that we feel it for others, it can be hard. We become accustomed to showing compassion for loved ones and others who are struggling or suffering, but we don’t always treat ourselves the same way.

Just like everyone else, we have good days and bad days. But on those bad days when we struggle, our inner dialogue may become critical and harsh. And while we may think that we’re just being honest with ourselves and taking responsibility for poor behavior, what we’re really doing is denying ourselves the self-compassion that we deserve – the same kind of compassion that we freely show for others.

Self-DiscoveryKristi HornerFebruary 21, 2024Self-Compassion

February Newsletter: Finding Yourself Again ... The Journey of Self-Discovery

During my hardest caregiving days, I felt as if I had lost myself - who I was at my very core. I lost sight of myself. It's as if I hit "pause" on my play button - in order to care for others so they could move "forward". In the meantime, during that pause, I was lost.

It took me a LONG time to notice and ultimately figure out why I was struggling. I had to find peace with focusing on ME again. I had to remind myself that taking care of me, too, is NOT selfish. It allows me to reclaim WHO I am, WHAT I'm doing and WHY it matters.

Throughout February as we explored our theme of Self-Discovery we dug deep to find more joy, identified our strengths and opportunities for growth, and worked hard on our self-compassion.

Self-discovery is the journey of finding your true self. It is a fundamental component of your journey of personal growth. It leads to greater self-awareness and helps you understand and regulate your emotions.

Self-discovery is a journey. Think of yourself as a perpetual perfectly imperfect work in progress.

It's about exploring your passions, examining your life, and taking steps towards personal fulfillment.

Check out our entire February newsletter focused on Self-Discovery here.

Self-DiscoveryKristi HornerFebruary 23, 2023Self-Compassion, Finding Joy, joy, Micro-Joy, Identifying Your Strengths

Treat Yourself as You Would Treat a Loved One

Tuesday was Valentine’s Day, and did you ever think of giving yourself a Valentine’s gift? How about some self-compassion?

Self-compassion is a perfect gift to give yourself … any day of the year. It’s a component of self-love, where we recognize our own worth and extend kindness to ourselves just like we would for others.

Self-DiscoveryKristi HornerFebruary 16, 2023Self-Compassion, Self-Love

March Newsletter: Mindfulness to Cope With Stress

Mindfulness has many benefits! It's been found to support you in regulating emotions, managing stress and leading to greater overall health and well-being. Our theme of MINDFULNESS in March fits under the composure domain of resilience. Composure - in regards to resilience - is about learning to regulate our emotions. It's also about the "little things" - being mindful in the moment. Sounds easy, right? It's HARD!

Check out our March Newsletter focused on MINDFULNESS here.

An Ocean of Compassion … for Me and for You

This week, our month’s theme of mindfulness brings us to the topic of self-compassion. And we can think of no better source to rely on for wisdom and advice on this subject than Dr. Kristin Neff, co-founder of the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion.

“Having compassion for oneself is really no different than having compassion for others,” Dr. Neff says.

Self-compassion is a component of self-love, where we recognize our own worth and value and extend kindness to ourselves as we would extend it to others. Show YOURSELF some compassion today.

MindfulnessKristi HornerMarch 10, 2022Self-Compassion

You’re Good at Compassion – Save Some for Yourself

We can be so hard on ourselves at times. You know the feeling – that we’re not doing enough or we’re not good enough. But what would you say to a loved one who felt that way? You’d give them love and support, and you’d let them know it’s not true.

MindfulnessKristi HornerMarch 11, 2021Self-Compassion, Self-Kindness, Connection, Mindfulness, Notice

Talk to Yourself as You Would to Others

May is Mental Health Month, with this year’s theme being “Tools 2 Thrive.” Those tools include owning your feelings, finding the positive, eliminating toxic influences, creating healthy routines, supporting others, and connecting with others. We want to focus on “finding the positive” because it fits right in with our topic for this week – positive self-talk.

Self-Compassion and the Battle Against Isolation

Do you ever think you’re just going it alone or going through the motions? That’s what can happen if you try to do self-care without first building a foundation of self-compassion, which is our final topic this month.

Emotional WellnessKristi HornerApril 23, 2020Self-Compassion, self-love

Being Your own Best Friend

For caregivers, having compassion for others is the easy part. What’s hard is showing that same compassion for ourselves. Instead, we’re often our own worst critic.

Emotional WellnessKristi HornerApril 11, 2019Self-Compassion, Self-Love

Don't Forget to Watch Out for Yourself

We’ve been focusing a lot on watchfulness in our recent emails – how important it is to pay close attention and respond quickly to symptoms of mental illness in our children and loved ones. But while you’re watching them, caring for them and possibly waiting for a diagnosis, don’t forget about your own self-care. …

Self-CareKristi HornerOctober 26, 2018Hobbies, Self-Care, Self-Love, Self-Compassion